The Interaction Between Water Scarcity and Water Quality Degradation: Israel as a Case Study

1982 ◽  
Vol 14 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 453-463
Author(s):  
H I Shuval
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Water Scarcity ◽  
Sea Water ◽  
Organic Pollution ◽  
Water Management System ◽  
Highly Sensitive ◽  
Gradual Accumulation ◽  
Major Surface ◽  
Year 2000

Israel is facing an impending water crisis of potentially major proportions due to severe water scarcity and increasing degradation of water quality. By 1981 all of the country's known replenishable fresh water resources were being utilized with severe over pumping of the ground water. The gradual accumulation of chlorides and nitrates in the coastal aquifer may severely reduce the utility of this major water resource for both agricultural and domestic purposes by the year 2000, unless drastic steps to abate the process are initiated immediately. Lake Kinneret, the country's major surface watersource, is a highly sensitive ecosystem whose stability could be threatened unless organic pollution is strictly controlled. The belief in desalinization of sea water as some sort of technological “Messiah”, providing solutions to both the problems of water quantity and quality is seriously questioned. The need to reorganize the country's water management system to meet the urgent problems of the impending crisis is proposed.

scholarly journals Atoyac River pollution Dynamics. Case Study: Emilio Portes Gil, Puebla, México

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriela Pérez Castresana ◽  
Víctor Tamariz Flores ◽  
Lucía López Reyes ◽  
Fernando Hernández Aldana ◽  
Rosalía Castelán Vega ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Metropolitan Area ◽  
Organic Pollution ◽  
River Pollution ◽  
Coliform Bacteria ◽  
Human Consumption ◽  
Time Dynamics ◽  
Large Populations

The Atoyac River crosses the metropolitan area of Puebla, Mexico, and presents a condition of severe degradation that has been poorly studied. The research was conducted in the year 2016 and analyzed the space-time dynamics of the water quality of the river, the increase in pollution in the period 2011–2016, and the water quality of the Atoyac River used for agricultural irrigation and human consumption in the population of Emilio Portes Gil, Ocoyucan, based on official Mexican standards (NOMs). The anoxic state of the river was demonstrated (~1.47 mgO2/L) and the high organic pollution, particularly in drought, as well as the presence of large populations of coliform bacteria, and 11 enterobacteries of pathogenic importance. The pollution recorded an average increase of 49% in the period 2011-2016, and the values of Fe, Al, Pb, and Cd in variable percentages. It was evidenced that water for irrigation and wells is contaminated with fecal bacteria (104–549 NMP/100 mL), including pathogenic. In wells, the concentration of heavy metals was 5 times higher in drought. These results represent a serious threat for the population of Emilio Portes Gil and the environment in the metropolitan area of Puebla.

scholarly journals Sea Water Intrusion in a Coastal Aquifer: A Case Study for the Area Between Seeb and Suwaiq, Sultanate of Oman

2006 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Al Barwani ◽  
Tariq Helmi
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Coastal Plain ◽  
Coastal Aquifer ◽  
Sea Water ◽  
Water Users ◽  
Groundwater Occurrence ◽  
Over Exploitation ◽  
Water Quality And Quantity

The Batinah Coastal plain, located between the Hajar mountains and the sea, from Muscat to the UAE border, is a favorable region for groundwater occurrence in Oman and the main source of fresh water in this coastal area. The coastal parts of the Batinah plain, particularly Barka and Suwaiq, have suffered from groundwater deterioration over the past 20 years. This paper reviews the monitoring activities of groundwater electrical conductivity in the Batinah coastal plain between Seeb and Suwaiq over the period 1984 to 2005, an area of approximately 394 km2. GIS and Auto-Cad techniques were applied to illustrate different salinity zones as the wells coordinates and their field EC were digitized on maps with contours. Zones of salinity ranges are identified and their areas were computed and compared to the total catchment area of each wadi. All samples were collected from the same upper gravel layer, ranging in depth 20-100 meters. There has been a substantial deterioration in water quality as indicated by a 7% reduction in areas of water suitable for agriculture use (2.000 – 6.000 μS/cm), reflecting a loss of 2,714 hectares of irrigated land. Also, a saline interface is reported 12 km inland at Wadi al Taww, Barka area, an indication of aquifer over-exploitation. It is therefore critical that monitoring of water quality and quantity is continued. It is recommended to improve implementation of the standard water resources management solutions to coastal aquifer saline contamination. Cooperation of different organizations and water users is essential to conserve these precious water resources. 

scholarly journals Addressing water quality in water footprinting: current status, methods and limitations

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalia Mikosch ◽  
Markus Berger ◽  
Matthias Finkbeiner
Keyword(s):  
Water Pollution ◽  
Water Quality ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Water Scarcity ◽  
Water Footprint ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Polluted Water ◽  
Textile Processing ◽  
Water Footprinting

Abstract Purpose In contrast to water consumption, water pollution has gained less attention in water footprinting so far. Unlike water scarcity impact assessment, on which a consensus has recently been achieved, there is no agreement on how to address water quality deterioration in water footprinting. This paper provides an overview of existing water footprint methods to calculate impacts associated with water pollution and discusses their strengths and limitations using an illustrative example. Methods The methods are described and applied to a case study for the wastewater generated in textile processing. The results for two scenarios with different water quality parameters are evaluated against each other and the water scarcity footprint (WSF). Finally, methodological aspects, strengths and limitations of each method are analysed and discussed and recommendations for the methods application are provided. Results and discussion Two general impact assessment approaches exist to address water quality in water footprinting: the Water Degradation Footprint (WDF) calculates the impacts associated with the propagation of released pollutants in the environment and their uptake by the population and ecosystem, while the Water Availability Footprint (WAF) quantifies the impacts related to the water deprivation, when polluted water cannot be used. Overall, seven methods to consider water quality in water footprinting were identified, which rely upon one or a combination of WDF, WAF and WSF. Methodological scopes significantly vary regarding the inventory requirements and provided results (a single-score or several impact categories). The case study demonstrated that the methods provide conflicting results concerning which scenario is less harmful with regard to the water pollution. Conclusions This paper provides a review of the water pollution assessment methods in water footprinting and analyses their modelling choices and resulting effects on the WF. With regard to the identified inconsistencies, we reveal the urgent need for a guidance for the methods application to provide robust results and allow a consistent evaluation of the water quality in water footprinting.

scholarly journals Eficácia da Cobrança pelo Uso de Recursos Hídricos condicionada ao Índice de Qualidade da Água: Estudo de Caso, Minas Gerais, Brasil

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 266
Author(s):  
Cíntia Maria Ribeiro Vilarinho ◽  
Marcelo Gonzaga Muller ◽  
Aline Souza Cavalcante ◽  
Mariana Morales Leite Costa ◽  
José Augusto Costa Gonçalves
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Scarcity ◽  
Water Quality Index ◽  
Quality Index ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Minas Gerais ◽  
Water Value ◽  
Minas Gerais State

Em vários países o preço da água pode e melhorou quantitativa e qualitativamente a distribuição deste recurso. O preço adequado e bem utilizado levou a uma melhor sustentabilidade e conservação da água por meio de regulamentos prescritivos, incluindo até o racionamento de água. O uso de preços para gerenciar a demanda de água é mais econômico do que a implementação de programas de conservação sem preços. No Brasil, através de instrumentos legais, é prevista a cobrança pelo uso dos recursos hídricos, sinalizando pela necessidade do reconhecimento do valor econômico da água associado ao seu uso, ao desenvolvimento sustentável mediante aos desafios da escassez hídrica futura. Para que a cobrança pelo uso da água não se torne um mero mecanismo de arrecadação pública, e devido também, a inexistência de estudos que investiguem e expressem de forma clara os objetivos e finalidades da cobrança em Minas Gerais, esta pesquisa se fez necessária. Desta forma, este trabalho objetivou investigar e avaliar a cobrança pelo uso da água e sua eficácia na melhoria do Índice de Qualidade da Água (IQA) estabelecida pelo órgão gestor. Em Minas Gerais, de 91,67% das Unidades de Planejamento e Gestão de Recursos Hídricos (UPGRHs), onde existe a cobrança instituída, não se constatou uma tendência na melhoria do IQA. Apenas 36,36% das bacias estaduais que cobram pelo uso da água melhoraram os níveis de IQA, enquanto 63,63% pioraram ou não tiveram variação significativa.  Charging Effectiveness for the Use of Water Resources conditioned to the Water Quality Index: Case Study, Minas Gerais, Brazil A B S T R A C TIn several countries the price of water can and has improved quantitatively and qualitatively the distribution of the resource. The appropriate and well-used price has led to better sustainability and conservation of water through prescriptive regulations, including even water rationing. Using prices to manage water demand is more economical than implementing price-free conservation programs. In Brazil, through legal instruments, charging for the use of water resources is foreseen, signaling mainly the need to recognize the economic value of water associated with its use, sustainable development through the challenges of future water scarcity. So that, charging for the use of water does not become a mere mechanism for public collection, and also due to the lack of studies that investigate and clearly express the objectives and purposes of charging in Minas Gerais state, this research was necessary. Thus, this study aimed to investigate and evaluate the charge for water use and its effectiveness in improving the Water Quality Index (WQI) established by the managing body. In Minas Gerais, of 91.67% of the Water Resources Planning and Management Units (UPGRHs), where the collection is in place, there was no trend in improving the IQA. Only 36.36% of the state basins that charge for the use of water improved the levels of IQA, while 63.63% worsened or had no significant variation.Keywords: Water scarcity. Water availability. Water Value.

Nature-based solutions for water resource management in the urban fringe

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Oen ◽  
Sarah Hale
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Water Quality ◽  
Water Scarcity ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Water Cycle ◽  
Urban Fringe ◽  
Case Study Site ◽  
Study Sites

<p>A research project called "Nature based solutions for water management in the peri-urban: linking ecological, social and economic dimensions (NATWIP)" started in 2019 and has the overall goal of: contributing to closing the water cycle gap by exploring the potential that nature-based solutions (NBS) offer to address water management challenges in landscape areas that have been neglected because they lie in the transition zones between the urban and the rural. Since NBS have most commonly been applied in urban areas, it is interesting to broaden the focus to assess the application of NBS on the outskirts of urban areas or the urban fringe as such areas are often affected by expansion processes of the city. Furthermore, these areas have historically played important roles in development and sustenance of urban centres, provision of water-related ecosystem services, particularly water supply, wastewater management and flood control.</p><p>Key NATWIP activities include the establishment of a methodological framework to analyse the social, economic and ecological sustainability dimensions of NBS and subsequently to apply the framework at case study sites in Norway, Sweden, Brazil, India, South Africa and Spain. These case study sites present very diverse water management problems as well as NBS. As more emphasis is placed on the use of NBS in the Nordic countries it is important to identify successful mechanisms for their implementation and monitoring. The case study site in Norway, Skien, represents a highly relevant urban challenge to balance water quality and the increases of water quantity as a result of climate change. This site focuses on the opening of a buried river using blue-green infrastructure as a catalyst for city development. In Sweden rain water harvesting in Gotland has been used in order to address water shortages caused by drought as well as water excess.</p><p>The other case studies sites present interesting examples where the framework is used to explore potential management practices that Nordic countries could learn from. In Spain, the Barcelona Metropolitan backbone is home to green-blue infrastructure and a variety of NBS that aim to improve environmental quality and water cycle management. The Brazilian case study focuses on the most advanced Payment for Environmental Service initiative in Latin America. Through this project, fees collected from water users pay farmers to conserve and restore riparian forests on their lands. In India rainwater harvesting is used to combat water scarcity and compromised water quality in new peri-urban areas. Two case studies in South Africa show how NBS can address the problems of water scarcity in combination with increasingly variable rainfall, frequent drought and floods as well as growing water demand.</p><p>Results from the first assessment of these case study sites will be presented to highlight similarities, differences, challenges, as well as potential synergies for learning from the different case study site contexts.</p>

Determinants and barriers of PV self-consumption in Spain from the perception of the installers for the promotion of distributed energy systems

2020 ◽  
pp. 153-169
Author(s):  
José Ángel Gimeno ◽  
Eva Llera Sastresa ◽  
Sabina Scarpellini
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Distributed Energy ◽  
Sustainable Solutions ◽  
Highly Sensitive ◽  
Transition Scenario

Currently, self-consumption and distributed energy facilities are considered as viable and sustainable solutions in the energy transition scenario within the European Union. In a low carbon society, the exploitation of renewables for self-consumption is closely tied to the energy market at the territorial level, in search of a compromise between competitiveness and the sustainable exploitation of resources. Investments in these facilities are highly sensitive to the existence of favourable conditions at the territorial level, and the energy policies adopted in the European Union have contributed positively to the distributed renewables development and the reduction of their costs in the last decade. However, the number of the installed facilities is uneven in the European Countries and those factors that are more determinant for the investments in self-consumption are still under investigation. In this scenario, this paper presents the main results obtained through the analysis of the determinants in self-consumption investments from a case study in Spain, where the penetration of this type of facilities is being less relevant than in other countries. As a novelty of this study, the main influential drivers and barriers in self-consumption are classified and analysed from the installers' perspective. On the basis of the information obtained from the installers involved in the installation of these facilities, incentives and barriers are analysed within the existing legal framework and the potential specific lines of the promotion for the effective deployment of self-consumption in an energy transition scenario.

Surface Water Quality Assessment. Case Study: Târnava Mare River, Mediaș Town-Romania

2011 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. 70-72
Author(s):  
Cristina Roşu ◽  
◽  
Ioana Piştea ◽  
Carmen Roba ◽  
Mihaela Mihu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Surface Water ◽  
Quality Assessment ◽  
Surface Water Quality ◽  
Water Quality Assessment

IMPACT OF INDUSTRIAL EFFLUENTS ON GROUND WATER QUALITY- A CASE STUDY OF GUJRANWALA, PAKISTAN

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Usman ◽  
Mian Bilal Khalid ◽  
Hafsa Yasin ◽  
Abdul Nasir, ◽  
Ch Arslan
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Ground Water ◽  
Industrial Effluents ◽  
Ground Water Quality
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